A Feudal Fairy Tale
by Raiegki Leviathan
Summary: Something I'm writing to rid myself of writer's block...when Crash makes a *LITTLE* (note the word "little") mistake, Coco gets sent to a medieval version of Australia and is mistaken for a fallen angel. (Or a witch...) How will she get home? *COMPLETE*
1. Chapter One: Fallen Angel or Witch? Eith...

A/N: Muahaha! A postive fic about the most hated character in the Crash Bandicoot series, Coco! (Not Tawna, but she's a close second)  
  
I don't see why she's so hated...and why people make her OOC (Out of Character) in fics. -_-;;  
  
Anyway, this was a spur of the moment kind of thing...just like "Enslaved (For a Lack of a Better Title)" and "Lunacy". But it's kinda random and stupid.  
  
Yet, stupid is good, and this will be a multi chaptered fic. You have been warned, and this is your first chance to turn back.  
  
~*~  
  
Disclaimer: I'm too tired to do one...ugh...fine...I don't own Crash Bandicoot, and even though the license belongs to Universal, (or Traveler's Tales, I'm not sure, but either way, it's bad) it will always truly belong to Naughty Dog.  
  
The phrase "A Feudal Fairy Tale" is from the Japanese Anime/Manga series: Inu-Yasha. I thought it would be good for this fic.  
  
This is your last chance to leave and go read another fanfic. You have been warned.  
  
~*~  
  
A Feudal Fairy Tale  
  
~*~  
  
"Crash, just push this button." Coco instructed, pointing at the console that controled the warp room. "It's that simple. This button."  
  
Crash stared at the button her small finger was pointing at for a minute. He then looked up at his sister and nodded.  
  
"Good." Coco walked over to the center of the warp room. "Push it, Crash!"  
  
Crash turned to the console, but then he realized something.  
  
He had forgotten which button to push.  
  
In a frenzy, he pressed down on random keys, hoping it will have the same effect.  
  
The lights in the room vanished and the ground shook, but this wasn't an earthquake...there was a different feel to it.  
  
"CRASH!" A panic stricken voice screamed.  
  
Unable to answer, Crash clung onto the keyboard for dear life in complete darkness.  
  
The shaking died down...the lights began working again...everything was fine.  
  
Except for one thing.  
  
~*~  
  
"Ouch!" Coco stood up and brushed the dust off her her legs. She had somehow emerged from the warp a little too high from the ground. She looked around. Something wasn't right.  
  
Under her feet was a stone street. To both the left and right were poorly built wooden houses with straw roofs. Rotten, barely legible signs hung above the doors. One said "Bookkeeper", another said "Blacksmith" and a third said "The Drunken Platypus". In front of her was a huge castle, built entirely of stones, complete with a moat and drawbridge.  
  
"I don't think I'm supposed to be here..." Coco muttered, turning around.  
  
And standing behind her, was a crowd of people staring at her in awe.  
  
One person pushed his way to the front of the mass of people, with an occasional "pardon me" and "step aside". As soon as he reached the front, Coco's eyes widened.  
  
"Koala Kong!?" She gasped.  
  
The huge koala glanced at her awkwardly.  
  
"How doest thou know mine name?"  
  
"She be a witch!" A voice erupted from the crowd.  
  
"A witch? Nay. Not with those rags she be wearing." Another answered.  
  
"Come." Koala Kong grabbed a hold of her wrist and dragged her inside the blacksmith's shop.  
  
~*~  
  
"What is going on here?" Coco demanded.  
  
"What be going on?" Koala Kong repated in a confused tone. "Me thinks thou should be the one asked that."  
  
"Stop talking funny!" Coco grunted.  
  
"Ye be the one speakin' funny." Koala Kong responded. "I not know who ye be, but I know ye be not normal."  
  
"Not normal?" Coco growled, offended by the words.  
  
"Aye." Koala Kong answered, taking a hot horseshoe from the blacksmith's fire and beating down on it with a hammer. "Lasses be not fallin' from the sky everyday now, be they?"  
  
By now, Coco was convinced this wasn't the Koala Kong she knew, or maybe he was just pulling her leg. Either way, she decided to play along. "No..." A thought crossed her mind. "What...year is it?"  
  
"Year?" Koala Kong repeated once again. "It be year fifteen-two, lassie." (A/N: 1502) He paused to hit the horseshoe again. "I reckon you be not of this world."  
  
"No, I'm not." Coco nodded. Maybe, this medieval Koala Kong could help her get home somehow.  
  
"Ye be too young to be a witch." Koala Kong put his hammer down, lost in thought. "Perhaps an angel from above, sent to help us?"  
  
"An angel...!?" Coco stiffled in a laugh. "Me!? How can I possibly save you from...whatever."  
  
"E'er since the good King Crash died, may his name be blessed, life be difficult for everyone." Koala Kong continued, apparently not hearing the previous remark.  
  
Wait a minute. Coco thought. Crash? A king? DEAD!?  
  
"That greedy Cortex, a duke from a neighborin' kingdom took over and be ruling with an iron fist. Takin' all our money for himself."  
  
This is just wierd. Coco thought. I'm here, in what appears to be some sort of Medieval Australia, that never existed, because there never was a medieval period in Australia, and all these people I know from the present...are all here, but don't have the foggiest clue who I am?  
  
"But I be not knowin' whether ye be an angel or not." Koala Kong said, interrupting her train of thought. "Tomorrow, ye should go off and slay the dragon in the eastern woods."  
  
"Slay a dragon!?"  
  
"Aye. Slay the dragon. An angel be not having any problems with that." Koala Kong said.  
  
"What if I don't...want to go and slay a dragon?" Coco asked.  
  
"Then ye be nothin' but a witch, and we burn ye and free the land of thy black magic."  
  
"I think I'll slay the dragon..."  
  
~*~  
  
The next morning, Coco leaned against the door of Koala Kong's blacksmith shop, trying to stay awake. Koala Kong wasn't there, he left saying something about an escort to the dragon's lair.  
  
A few minutes later, he came back with none other than Ripper Roo.  
  
"This be Ripper Roo, the village idiot, or the village fool as others prefer." He introduced. "He be the only one in town knowin' the way to the dragon's cave."  
  
Coco sighed. Her luck was certainly holding out well. First she gets transported here in a freak accident, meets up with Koala Kong, who believes she's a fallen angel here to save the town from the tyranny of the evil king, Cortex, and now she has to travel deep into a forest with Ripper Roo as a guide and become dragon food.  
  
~*~  
  
Ripper Roo bounced through the forest, leading Coco around trees, across rivers, and over ditches. They had been traveling for two hours straight, which did not make her very happy.  
  
The crazy, leaping creature came to a hault behind a boulder and motioned for Coco to come over with his large feet.  
  
The female bandicoot peered over the large stone and found herself staring at a cave entrance which lead inside a hill.  
  
"I assume this is the dragon's lair?" She asked her traveling companion.  
  
Ripper Roo nodded vigorously and immediately began bounding away.  
  
"Hey, wait!" She called, but the hopping animal was already gone. "Great. He abandons me." She turned around and looked back at the cave entrance, which looked more like a large burrow than a cave to her, but who was she to judge the home of a ferocious fighting beast? Even if by the narrow chance she manages to kill it, how was she going to find her way back if there was no one to show her.  
  
Bravely, she left her hiding spot behind the rock and began to approach what could very well be the last place she'll ever visit.  
  
~*~  
  
End of Chapter One  
  
~*~ 


	2. Chapter Two: The Pathetic Dragon

A/N: Whoot...chapter two...  
  
Still need to rid self of Writer's Block.  
  
Still need to figure out why people think Coco is a slut.  
  
Still need to keep the Crash section alive...  
  
~*~  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter One for Details  
  
~*~  
  
A Feudal Fairy Tale  
  
~*~  
  
Coco peered into the cave. Darkness as far as the eye can see. She stepped cautiously into the mouth. Soft breathing could be heard.  
  
It must be asleep. Coco thought. Otherwise, it would've killed me by now. I'm probably going to die anyway...burned by a dragon's breath, or burned tied to a wooden stake in the middle of a bonfire in the middle of a village. Sarcasm began to take over her mind. I'm so glad I decided to burn without a whole town of people obsessed with burning witches watching me. At least I'll be useful and feed the creature.  
  
As she advanced ever so slowly, the breathing became louder and louder. Coco's first instinct was to turn back immediately, but that was no good because she didn't know the way back...even if she did, that wouldn't be very good either. She told herself to "be brave...yeah right" and continued on.  
  
Feeling around on the ground, her fingers locked over a stone and she picked it up. Knowing it was a blind chance, and doing so would probably get her killed, she hurled it into the darkness, figuring if she was going to lose her life, she might as well get it over with.  
  
"OW!"  
  
"Ow"?" Coco mumbled. She was expecting a bloodcurdling roar or something along those lines. "Dragons don't talk...do they?" Immediately, she stepped to the side as the rock came wizzing back at her.  
  
"What gives thou the right to invade the homes of others!?" An angry voice called out from the darkness. "Moreover, what gives thou the right to throw rocks at mine head!?"  
  
"Umm..." Coco studdered nervously. For some reason, the voice seemed oddly familiar.  
  
"Ye be nothing but a mere child. And a female at that. Be this the villagers' idea of a joke!?" Silence. "They mock me, do they?"  
  
"There's nothing wrong with being a girl!" Coco protested. "And no, the villagers are not mocking you."  
  
"So they send ye to feed me?" The voice inqured, with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Pity. I be not eatin' bandicoots. Too much fur they be havin'. Go back to thy village and tell them to send a boar next time."  
  
"Wait, wait, wait." Coco frowned. "You don't want to eat me, so you just let me go, just like that. Well, listen here, mister dragon, I'm not delivering any messages for you. It's not like the villagers are going to send you some stupid pig. I was expeceting you to attack me and at the very least, TRY to kill me. What kind of dragon are you!?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Hmph. You're pathetic." Coco scoffed, leaning against a wall of the cave. "Let me ask you again. What kind of dragon are you?"  
  
"...You be not the kind I be expecting."  
  
"Then what were you expecting?" Coco asked.  
  
"I be expecting noble knights, clad in armor atop their noble steeds swinging swords."  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you, but...HEY! DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT! WHAT KIND OF DRAGON ARE YOU!?"  
  
The voice sighed. "I be not a dragon."  
  
"Then what are you!?" Coco tapped her foot, impatient with the reluctant "dragon".  
  
"It be easier to show you. Step outside."  
  
~*~  
  
Coco marched out of the cave and waited for the...whatever he was to come out.  
  
A snout was first. Tan in color. So far, he did look like a dragon. But all that changed when the figure's full form was out in the sunlight.  
  
"DINGODILE!?" Coco gasped. "YOU'RE THE DRAGON!?"  
  
Dingodile tilted his head. "Ye be a witch?"  
  
"NO!" Coco shouted, waving her arms about. "WOULD EVERYONE STOP ASKING ME THAT!?"  
  
"My apologies." Dingodile tilted his head the other way. "How doest thou know mine name?"  
  
"Too hard to explain." Coco sighed. "So, why does everyone think you're a dragon?"  
  
Now it was Dingodile's turn to sigh. "Ye be the first one to hear mine story."  
  
~*~  
  
A long time ago, (Dingodile began) when I be nothin' but a little whelp seven years of age, I be a notorious thief. There be not anything impossible for me to steal. There be not anyone swift enough to catch me. There be not anyone with a mind more crafty and clever as mine. There be no place I cannot hide.  
  
Those be the good days, when rewards up to twenty gems be offered for mine capture. Doest thou know what twenty gems be worth? They be worth enoug for any peasant to become a noble! Equal to ten thousand gold coins that was. Gems back then be worth five hundred gold pieces. I be not knowin' how much they be worth now.  
  
But one day, at the ripe age of thirteen years, I be makin' the mistake of tryin' to ransack the king's treasury. Almost got away with it, I did, but them castle guards be more alert than a pack of wild dingoes. Caught me by the tail they did. The king be away from the castle, so they be draggin' me to the prince, Crash, heir to the throne.  
  
The lad be only seven at the time, but he be wiser and kinder than all the monarchs and monarchs-to-be put together.  
  
What a sad sight I be, standin' in the middle of the village square in front of the village. There be not one I saw whom I be not robbin' some time in the past. The young saint gave me the lightest punishment possible for tryin' to pilfer from the royal treasury- Exile.  
  
Dropped out here I was...mine story seemed to be popular among the folks. But just like rumors, it be altered and tweaked, until it suddenly became a story about a dragon in the forest. I be not knowin' how a tale about a foolish thief became the legend of a fierce dragon, but not one person be comin' to slay, or even see me 'til ye, lassie. Them folks too afraid to come themselves.  
  
~*~  
  
Dingodile chucked, satisfied that finally, someone knew his story. "What be thy name, lass?"  
  
"Coco." Coco answered. "My name's Coco."  
  
"That be a nice name." Dingodile complimented. "Now, ye have no more business here, so off thy way thee should be goin'...just be not tellin' the villagers that the "dragon" be nothin' more than a retired thief. They be after mine head if so."  
  
"I don't know the way back." Coco admitted, looking down at her shoes. "It took a long time to get here, about two hours, and I'm not sure which way to go."  
  
"...Two hours...?" Dingodile repeated. "It be not far." He pointed an ebony-colored claw west. "Walk straight in this direction and ye should be back at the village in ten minutes."  
  
Coco didn't believe it. Ripper Roo had taken her the long, indirect way which added an extra one hundred ten minutes to the journey, and all she had to do was walk STRAIGHT for TEN MINUTES!? Well, the half-breed COULD be trying to joke her around...  
  
"Would you mind coming with me?" Coco asked, knowing that Dingodile would refuse if it was a trick.  
  
"...If ye insists." Dingodile replied, after a moment's hesitation. "But I only be allowed to go to the borders of the town, I be never allowed back in."  
  
"I don't want you to go in. I just want you to lead me there, because I have...um..." Coco struggled to find an answer. "...um...no sense of direction."  
  
"..." Giving her a suspicious look, Dingodile began to lead the way back to the village.  
  
~*~  
  
End of Chapter Two  
  
~*~  
  
A/N: I know it's pointless and all, (And everyone's going to hate me for writing a fic where Coco doesn't get bashed) but this is just a wierd thing to remove writer's block. I assure you all, the best way to get rid of Writer's Block is to WRITE! 


	3. Chapter Three: Suspicions Confirmed

A/N: Two chapters and I haven't been flamed...yet...  
  
Mayhaps the impossible hast happened and not a Coco-Hating soul hast come to hate me?  
  
THANK YOU!!!  
  
Thanks for the reviews. I was getting worried that the Crash section died.  
  
To quote my friend, Mewmaster26...  
  
"LONG LIVE THE CRASH SECTION!!!"  
  
And believe me, there is one thing I must know before I can safely say that I know everything there is to know about the Crash Bandicoot series.  
  
If you don't like Coco, that's fine. I have no grudge against you.  
  
But portray her as a female dog (You should know what word I'm talking about here, if not, read some dog care books) just because you don't like her is just plain wrong. (Pure hatred is a different story, but I wouldn't go that far...)  
  
I myself despise Rilla Roo and Nitros Oxide, but you don't see me running around calling them hideous names, do you? As much as I'm tempted to, there may, just MAY be some Rilla Roo and/or Oxide fans out there, and I wish not to disrespect them.  
  
Thank you for allowing me to waste your time.  
  
~Raiegki Leviathan of the Grassrunners  
  
~*~  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter Two for details.  
  
~*~  
  
The entire hike was silent, except for the forest sounds of the area. With a twosome consisting of an adolescent female bandicoot and a former thief in exile, there wasn't much will to talk.  
  
Sure enough, the old, rickety houses came into view after approximately ten minutes.  
  
"There be the village." Dingodile grunted. "Go on."  
  
"Don't you want to come in?" Coco asked.  
  
"I be not allowed in there." Dingodile answered.  
  
"That was years ago!" Coco retaliated.  
  
"Exile be forever." He insisted, digging the claws on his feet into the dirt trying to hold back his frustration.  
  
"Oh come on!" Coco snapped. "I can't go in there all by myself!"  
  
"Why not!?" He retorted. "I cannot go any farther than the very post that marks the very beginning of thee village." He gestured to the gate to the town with two of his ebony-colored claws.  
  
Coco was having trouble keeping her own anger inside. "Because I will BURN once they find out I didn't slay the non-existant dragon!" Pausing, she took a deep breath, knowing that arguing over something like this...over ANYTHING wouldn't do much, if any, good. "I need you to help set things straight." She finished more calmly.  
  
Dingodile looked to the village, then to his forest, then back to the village again. Then he shifted his gaze towards Coco. "My apologies." He huffed, turning to go back to his burrow.  
  
"You...YOU COWARD!!!" Coco yelled. "YOU'RE JUST AFRAID TO GO IN THERE, AREN'T YOU!?"  
  
This made Dingodile stop and turn around. All the anger he was trying to restrain began to break loose. "It be not a matter of courage, lass, it be a matter of honor. I could have been killed those many years ago. Executed in front of the whole village. And I should have been, for I be qualifyin' for the ultimate punishment back then. I be havin' fifty gems in mine posession when I be caught by them guards. What kind of gratitude would that be to that blessed ruler, going back to his town. He saved me from dyin' in shame. In shame in front of hundreds of people. What kind of respect would that be, trying to slip by unpunished?"  
  
"Crash is dead."  
  
"What!?"  
  
Coco gave Dingodile a stern look. "It's been years. No one's going to recognize you. Even if they did, they probably wouldn't be doing much about it. All I have to say is you're with me and you'll be safe."  
  
"No. That be disgracing the merciful ruler. Even if he be dead."  
  
Coco completely lost her temper and ran up and slapped Dingodile across the face. "It's always honor this, honor that, isn't it!? Sure, you give respect to others and you deserve credit for that. But dying by yourself, with no one by your side, no one to remember you... Your problem is, that you have no concern for yourself. No worries for your own fur and scales. Why don't you just go jump off a cliff if you're so worthless to the world?" Coco turned to face the village. "It's obvious that I can't make you change your mind. But remember, you were born for a reason. It's not too late to discover it. ...Farewell."  
  
With that, she left the outcast behind.  
  
~*~  
  
"That be what happens when you be a thief, lass, a thief risks everything to get what he wants. Including his very own life. I understand what ye be sayin', but old habits be resillent. The past cannot be changed. It be immortal, and the past be what formed me into the very loner I be."  
  
The forest was completely silent. The only sounds that could be heard were from the heavy footsteps of a lonely creature, who had long since forgotten his place in the world.  
  
~*~  
  
"It be the angel!" Someone shouted. "The angel be returnin' alive, not a scratch on her!"  
  
"Me still thinks she still be a witch." Another voice answered.  
  
"Silence!" Koala Kong yelled into the street. "She be NOT a witch. Ye be keepin' up thy chatter, and it be THY body burnin' in the village square!" He smiled as he saw Coco approach. "Good afternoon, lassie, that be fast. Slayed the dragon in a hurry, I recon?"  
  
"Um..." Coco remembered Dingodile's wish to remain a "dragon". "Yes."  
  
"Ah, that proves it." Koala Kong leaped onto a wooden platform in the center of the town square, hands tightly locked around Coco's arm. "Our prayers be answered! Heaven hast sent us an angel to free us of our misery!"  
  
The entire village cheered.  
  
~*~  
  
"So, when will thee be visitin' that Cortex and punishing him with thy divine power?" Koala Kong asked anxiously, working on more horseshoes inside his shop.  
  
"Soon." Coco promised, even though this was probably going to be one she wouldn't be able to keep.  
  
"Ah, preparing thy holy might?" Koala Kong chucked. "Well, mayhaps tomorrow. Tonight, we celebrate. A feast in your honor!"  
  
"Won't Cortex notice the celebration?" Coco asked.  
  
"Nay." Koala Kong tossed a finished horseshoe in a wooden barrel. "He ne'er watches us. Only himself. The drawbridge to his castle be up all the time, except when his guards be comin' into town to collect food and money from us. Once a week, it happens. And the next day be tomorrow. No one in the village can swim, so we be drownin' in the moat should we try. Me thinks thou doest not want to watch me make horseshoes all day, so why not walk around town? Stop by a few shops?"  
  
Coco was about to protest that she didn't have any money, but Koala Kong had almost literately pushed her out the door to his blacksmith shop and shut it behind her.  
  
~*~  
  
"May thee be helped?" The bookkeeper asked as Coco entered the book shop. Coco struggled to hold in the laugh. The shopkeeper was none other than Tiny the Tiger.  
  
"Yes, well...do you have any books about castles?" She asked.  
  
"Aye." Tiny climbed a ladder and pulled an extremely large book off a shelf. "This one be havin' lists of secret passages, maps, and history of e'ery castle in Australia. A good read, though it may take several weeks to finish. This be what ye be lookin' for?"  
  
"Yes." Coco smiled. She took the heavy book from Tiny's hands, sat down at a table and began flipping through it.  
  
Hours later, long after the sun had gone down, Tiny decided it was time to close up shop.  
  
"Lass, the book seems to interest ye."  
  
"Yes, very." Coco nodded.  
  
"If ye like it so much, thou may keep it."  
  
"Keep it?" Coco repeated.  
  
"Aye. No harm in lettin' a little lassie like thyself havin' a free book every once in a few moons. Run along home now." Tiny urged.  
  
~*~  
  
Home...  
  
~*~  
  
End of Chapter Three  
  
~*~  
  
A/N: Whooh...so tired...gotta get to work on Chapter Four now. ^_~ 


	4. Chapter Four: Dream or Reality?

A/N: Okay, this wasn't as humorous as I hoped, so I'm changing the genere. To Drama, of course. Drama's really the only thing I can write well. -_-;;  
  
~Raiegki Leviathan of the Grassrunners  
  
~*~  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter Three for details  
  
~*~  
  
A Feudal Fairy Tale  
  
~*~  
  
Coco muttered to herself as she flipped through the pages of the book about castles. She turned to a page called "Cortex Castle" (A/N: Sound familiar? ^_^) and began tracing over the words and pictures with her finger. A candle, the only source of light, glowed dimly in the darkness. Reaching over for a feather pen dipped in ink, Coco scribbled various notes on the pages, trying her hardest to stay awake.  
  
I can't believe they didn't have caffine in the Middle Ages... Coco thought. I'd give anything for at least a small cup of coffee.  
  
Music, delighted screams, and laughs sounded behind her. The feast was well underway.  
  
But Coco didn't have any time for that. There was work to do. Things to plan...  
  
A heavy pounding echoed on the door.  
  
"Lassie? Ye be in there?" Koala Kong called through the door. "It be not a feast if the one we be honoring be not there."  
  
"I haven't the time!" Coco yelled back. "I can't squander these precious minutes!"  
  
And so, Koala Kong left, a bit disappointed in her refusal to come out of the little room with only a table and a chair. The celebration continued on until it was nearly sunrise.  
  
~*~  
  
Coco stretched and splashed cold water on her face. She had been up for a long time, even after the feast ended. She was only able to get in three hours of sleep...and three's not enough for anyone to get by.  
  
Now she was beginning to understand why her brother spends most of his day asleep.  
  
"Today be the day!" Koala Kong chirped happily. "Today be the day the reign of the evil duke, Cortex ends!"  
  
"Let me ask one thing." Coco growled, not exactly in the best of moods. "Why did you wait all this time for me to come along, when you are capable of overthrowing Cortex yourself?"  
  
"..."  
  
"That's what I thought. Fate does not help those who don't help themselves."  
  
Koala Kong immediately got down on his knees. "Please, your holiness, spare me of punishment."  
  
"Well, I guess you can make it up by helping me." Coco sighed.  
  
"Aye, aye. I offer the best I can do within the limits of mine mortal power!" Koala Kong declaired, still on his knees.  
  
...This is actually kind of fun... Coco smirked to herself.  
  
~*~  
  
The castle was larger than it looked. Grey skies hovered over the area, giving the place an omninous look. Fog circled the structure, which also made it difficult to see. It looked like a black and white picture. Almost NOTHING had color. The surrounding plants were all wilted and dry, and the moat reflected the sky. As always, the drawbridge was up.  
  
Silently, a wooden boat, about the size of a dingy, was pushed into the water and rowed to the opposite shore.  
  
Coco and Koala Kong crept along the outer wall until they reached the drawbridge. Apparently, Cortex's guards were getting lazy, for the drawbridge wasn't completely raised. There was a small gap just large enough for both of them to fit through.  
  
Inside, there was a huge courtyard, large enough to house the entire village...then again, the village really was only one street.  
  
"We used to be living in this courtyard." Koala Kong explained. "But Cortex evicted us and threw us out."  
  
"Where would Cortex be now?" Coco asked.  
  
"I be not knowin'."  
  
"S'alright..." Coco reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. On it was a map of the entire castle with semi-legible notes scribbled on.  
  
"Where did ye get that?" Koala Kong asked.  
  
"I ripped it out of the book I was reading last night." Coco answered. Tracing paths on it with her finger, she looked up to make sure she was facing the same direction as the map. "The great hall is in the center of the castle, so I guess that's where Cortex will most likely be. But there's one problem."  
  
"And what may that be?" Koala Kong inqured, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Have you noticed the size of this place!? It will be nearly impossible to get to the great hall without being noticed!"  
  
To quote the castle book exactly, Cortex Castle, (Formerly called Crystal Castle for its walls were decorated with crystals...until Cortex changed the name) was "five-thousand meters long, seven-thousand meters high, and had countless rooms".  
  
"Then we better start a searchin', Lassie."  
  
Silently circling the courtyard, the two of them came upon a cellar door. Pulling it open, they both jumped into the darkness below.  
  
~*~  
  
Only a single torch lit the area, and although it was difficult to see, once their eyes adjusted, they almost immediately saw that they were in a wine cellar. Continuing through it, and occasionally slipping on a bottle or two on the floor, Coco and Koala Kong reached another door that lead to the kitchen according to the map.  
  
Opening the wooden door just a creek, a pair of emerald eyes scanned the area. Seeing it was clear, the two emerged and immediately set forth for the great hall.  
  
Down one passage way, up another. Turn left at this corridor, find another. The place was like a maze. A large, five-thousand meter long maze. Luckily, they had the solution to it, and Coco's eyes were glued to it the whole time.  
  
Yes, it took hours, but not once were they lost. When they reached the end point, or rather, the center of the maze, two gigantic doors stood in front of them. Two large, wooden doors with golden handles were the only obstacles that stood in their way.  
  
Just as Koala Kong was about to pull the door open, both he and Coco were grabbed from behind.  
  
"Trespasserssss..." A voice hissed.  
  
With great effort, Coco looked behind her shoulder to see Komodo Joe as her captor and Komodo Moe restraining Koala Kong.  
  
"Thievessss are ye...?" Komodo Joe continued. "Thievesss be not allowed in the cassstle. And what be thisss...? A female bandit? Or should I say "banditcoot"? What next?"  
  
Once, just ONCE, Coco would like not to be looked down upon for being a girl bandicoot.  
  
"The king will decide what to do with you low-lifesss..."  
  
~*~  
  
They didn't have to go far. Just a pull on the big, wooden doors and they were there.  
  
How come the heroes never get caught in fairy tales...? Coco sighed in her mind. Then she began arguing with herself. ...Because their FAIRY TALES, idiot. This is real life.  
  
You can't prove that.  
  
You're here. What more proof do you need?  
  
There never was a medieval Australia.  
  
There is now.  
  
Feudalism was only in Europe...  
  
Who cares!?  
  
Is this real?  
  
YES!  
  
Is it...?  
  
...  
  
Does this mean this world's not real? That I'M not real? That I ceased to exist, or worse I never existed...?  
  
...  
  
Coco's conversation with herself abrutly ended when Komodo Joe threw her down on the ground. Looking up, she saw a smirking Cortex perched on a throne, dressed in the finest robes and with an overly-decorated crown perched on his head.  
  
"Well well." His voice echoed throughout the entire great hall. "Some pickpockets decided to try and become rich by raiding the royal treasury hmm...? Throw them in the dungeon. They shall be executed in the morning."  
  
~*~  
  
Once again, Coco and Koala Kong found themselves being dragged. This time, down some cold, stone stairs that went in a downwards spiral. Komodo Joe unlocked a prison cell while Komodo Moe tossed them both in.  
  
"Enjoy your last hoursss..." Komodo Joe grinned, shutting the door.  
  
~*~  
  
End of Chapter Four  
  
~*~  
  
Coco: Hey, Raiegki's adopted a new way to end chapters and prelude the others and any sequels.  
  
Koala Kong: After every chapter, someone will give a quick summary of the next one.  
  
Coco: We're kind of ripping off Cowboy Bebop here.  
  
Koala Kong: Yeah. So?  
  
Coco: -_-;; Okay, so we're in a locked cell and can't get out.  
  
Koala Kong: Why don't you use your angelic powers to get us out somehow?  
  
Coco: I...uh...I'm not an angel.  
  
Koala Kong: SAY WHAT!?  
  
Coco: Don't worry, we'll get out somehow.  
  
Koala Kong: YOU'RE NOT AN ANGEL!? WHY YOU-  
  
Coco: Um...don't miss the next chapter of "A Feudal Fairy Tale", "Chapter Five: True Colors".  
  
Koala Kong: WITCH! GET OVER HERE SO I CAN STRANGLE YOU!  
  
Raiegki: HEY! YOU CANNOT KILL THE HEROINE OF THIS FANFICTION! KOALA KONG, COME HERE, SO I CAN STRANGLE *YOU*! 


	5. Chapter Five: True Colors

A/N: And so the truth is revealed...  
  
HEY! DOES ANYONE COME HERE ANYMORE!?  
  
...Er I mean...about the fic, not my sudden outburst.  
  
We're nearing the final stretch of my attempt to rid myself of Writer's Block. (Which isn't working, by the way...)  
  
Don't worry...I'll think of another fic...somehow...if you have any ideas, I would greatly appreciate them. Maybe I should try my hand at Spyro fics if I get really stumped...  
  
I *WAS* thinking about putting my fanfictions in manga (Japanese comic) format for all to see, but then I realized the only characters I can draw are Pura, Polar, Dingodile, Crash (somewhat), and Coco. (Grr...Coco's hair is always a pain to draw.) So that dream shattered. Some time in the future, when my pictures of Tiny don't look disasterous, and Aku Aku and Uka Uka don't look...wierd, and Cortex's head doesn't look genetically enlarged, (although now that I think of it, it looks okay...) I may actually get around to doing that.  
  
I should really shut up. Either I talk too much or is this an elaborate plan of my sub-consious mind trying to cheat to make this chapter longer...hmm...  
  
I think it's both. -_-;; I'm stopping. NOW...er...after I sign my name...  
  
~Raiegki Leviathan of the Grassrunners  
  
~*~  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter Four for details  
  
~*~  
  
A Feudal Fairy Tale  
  
Chapter Five: True Colors  
  
~*~  
  
Coco paced back and forth in the prison cell. The sky had grown dark after many hours, and things were not looking well. In fact...sunrise was only an hour away! Looking out the barred window, she could see that a faint glow was peeking over the horizon.  
  
"Lassie."  
  
Coco turned to face her cellmate, who was sitting in a pile of hay not moving, unlike her.  
  
"Doest thou not think it be time to break out?" Koala Kong asked.  
  
"How?"  
  
"Ye be an angel." Koala Kong reasoned. "An angel be gettin' out of a mere cage easily."  
  
"Well...I have something to confess."  
  
"What it be?" Koala Kong eyed her with a frown for the very first time.  
  
"I'm...not an angel."  
  
"Then what be ye?" Koala Kong inquired. "A sprit? A lady warrior? A sorceress?"  
  
"No, no, and no." Coco said solemly. "I'm just a regular bandicoot girl."  
  
'A regular bandicoot girl who was mistakenly transported here...' she added in her mind. 'Crash, I wish you were here...you could do this. Easily. I'm nothing but your weakling shadow...'  
  
Koala Kong looked at her in disgust. "Thou hast decieved me!" He shouted angrily. "I be killin' you with mine own hands!"  
  
Coco backed against the wall. Forget execution, she was going to be killed by her own ally! Betrayed by the only person she could trust...well, perhaps she was the betrayer, lying to Koala Kong the whole time...  
  
The immense koala, who seemed even larger than before, advanced on her, cornering the helpless bandicoot. "I admit, thou had me fooled, Lassie, but not anymore." He grabbed her arm so firmly, it fell limp and Coco could barely move her fingers. "I be makin' this quick, for I be not a man without mercy." He reached for her neck.  
  
~*~  
  
Koala Kong stopped and looked towards the stairwell near their prison cell, temporarly distracted. The faint sounds of footsteps could be heard. "They be comin' for us." He said, still positioned to kill. The shadow of a hooded figure holding an executioner's axe crept along the walls. Then, the figure itself came into view. Coco looked out the window once more. The sun had hardly begun to rise.  
  
'He's alone...' Coco thought.  
  
The executioner stopped in front of the rusted, iron door to their cage and took out a keyring. Two eyes looked at them, as he continued to flip through the rings. Holding one up with a hand covered with corse, light brown fur, he fit it into the keyhole and turned.  
  
The door didn't open.  
  
Lifting one of his ebony colored claws, he browsed through the keys again and put another one in.  
  
The door didn't open.  
  
A soft, frustrated growl was heard, as Coco and Koala Kong watched the odd sight. Gleaming fangs became visible as yet another key was tried.  
  
The door didn't open.  
  
A pair of eyes glared at the keyhole distastefully.  
  
"Will you hurry up!?" Coco growled.  
  
The executioner looked up at her. The eyes seemed offended and slightly hurt.  
  
"There be not anything impossible for me to steal. There be not anyone swift enough to catch me. There be not anyone with a mind more crafty and clever as mine. There be no place I cannot hide. There also be no castle I cannot infiltrate."  
  
Coco wriggled out of Koala Kong's grip and ran to the door. "Dingodile!?"  
  
The executioner, who was indeed the banished thief, removed the cloak and nodded.  
  
"Dingodile...?" Koala Kong repeated quietly, his frown growing more intense. "YOU BE THAT LITTLE SCOUNDREL THAT MADE OFF WITH ALL MINE GOLD THOSE MANY YEARS AGO!"  
  
"Aye. And I be only five at the time." Dingodile chuckled, trying to smooth out the fur on his arms in vain. His corse, messy fur seemed to straighten out a bit, but it still remained in a mangled state, which made Koala Kong believe he should've stolen a brush instead of money. "But look at me now. I be a full-grown scoundrel now."  
  
"Me thinks the dragon in the forest should have eaten you."  
  
"..." Both Dingodile and Coco were silent.  
  
"Full-grown rascal...pah." Koala Kong huffed.  
  
Dingodile again fingered the keys, carefully trying to select the correct key to open the door.  
  
Impatiently, Coco snatched the ring, picked a random key, and jammed it into the keyhole. She turned it...and the door clicked open.  
  
"I thought you had an ethic moral against coming back." She stated, tapping her foot.  
  
"Aye, but..." Coco swore she saw a twinkle in his eye. "...I be banished from the village, not the castle."  
  
Koala Kong glared at the ex-thief. "I be not working with criminals such as thee."  
  
"Well, thy walk in life be not so grand, either!" Dingodile barked back.  
  
"Stop it. Both of you." Coco commanded, stepping between them. "If we're going to get through this...dead or alive, we're going to have to do it together."  
  
"Fine." The blacksmith agreed a little hastily. "I shall cooperate...for the time being."  
  
"Then I shall as well." The half-breed snarled, not too happy with the situation.  
  
~*~  
  
A sight to behold they were indeed. They were trio consisting of a small female orange bandicoot, a suspicious super-strong koala, and a sly dingo-crocodile who had rid himself of his larcenous tendencies. It wasn't too hard to find their way back to the Great Hall. They had a map, after all, and the two guards, Komodo Joe and Komodo Moe were more interested in arguing with each other than keeping their watch.  
  
For the second time, Koala Kong placed his large hands on the large wooden doors...  
  
~*~  
  
End of Chapter Five  
  
~*~  
  
Raiegki: Hey, the last chapter is next!  
  
Coco: Already? Wow...it usually takes months for someone like you to finish a multi-chaptered fic.  
  
Raiegki: -_-;;  
  
Koala Kong: Well, it's finally time to overthrow Cortex.  
  
Dingodile: Wonderful. But...how.  
  
Coco: We can't give that away in the preview! You'll just have to read and find out yourself. ^_~  
  
Koala Kong and Dingodile: -_-;;  
  
Raiegki: Right! ^-^ So, up next is the final chapter of "A Feudal Fairy Tale", Chapter Six: Final Conflict  
  
Dingodile: Sounds sorta like a Gundam Wing episode... 


	6. Chapter Six: Final Conflict

A/N: Final chapter! YEAH!  
  
This is where we wrap everything all up...and if this seems rushed, I apologize right now.  
  
On a lighter note, I'll get started on anoter Crash fic ASAP. ~_^ I need an idea first. -_-;;  
  
~Raieki Leviathan of the Grassrunners  
  
~*~  
  
Dislaimer: See Chapter Five for details  
  
~*~  
  
"A Feudal Fairy Tale"  
  
Chapter Six: Final Conflict  
  
~*~  
  
"Just pull the door open!" Coco hissed.  
  
Koala Kong tugged with all his might, and again before them, the Great Hall stood.  
  
"Who seeks mine presence!?" A loud commanding voice boomed.  
  
'He acts like a genie...' Coco rolled her eyes.  
  
"WELL!?" The voice echoed.  
  
"Now or never." Coco said to her two companions. "This is our chance."  
  
Nervously, Koala Kong and Dingodile nodded.  
  
All three of them rushed in. If the doorway wasn't so wide, they would've tripped over each other.  
  
"You again!?" Cortex snarled, atop his porchlean throne. "Guards! Guards!"  
  
Komodo Joe and Komodo Moe literately stumbled in. They appeared to be the only sentries in the entire palace. Still, they got up and withdrew their swords.  
  
Unarmed, and almost helpless, the trio backed up against a table set up with food for what reason, it was unknown. Out of the corner of her eye, Coco saw a barrel of wine. Nudging Koala Kong, who immediately got the idea, she just uttered a soft "Go for it." and ran to the side, dragging Dingodile along with her.  
  
Koala Kong lifted the barrel up off the ground and held it above his head. Stupidly, the Komodo brothers kept coming.  
  
After balancing it, Koala Kong heaved the barrel at them, which exploded and got red wine all over the place.  
  
"Mine floors!" Cortex gasped.  
  
"Floors?" Dingodile chuckled. "A little spill should be the least of thy worries." With that, he got on all fours and sprang at Cortex, who immediately fled his throne. Dingodile growled, as all he was able to pounce on was an empty throne. He had a sudden urge to chip the jewels off the golden chair with his claws, but he then remembered he wasn't a thief anymore. The throne rocked back and forth, and just as it was about to fall over, he launched off it...into a puddle of wine.  
  
"Idiot..." Coco mumbled. "But then again...at least he's doing something."  
  
By now, Koala Kong had made short work of Komodo Joe and Komodo Moe. Taking one of the metal rings that held the barrel together, he placed it around the Komodo brothers to make sure they wern't going anywhere.  
  
"Where be Cortex!?" He demnded.  
  
"He escaped down that hallway." Coco informed, pointing down a dark corridor. "Let's go."  
  
~*~  
  
The hallway was pitch black, except for the crystals that lined the walls, but those crystals seemed so lacking in power, they were only able to provide enough light to see three feet in front of you, no more.  
  
It seemed to go in a straight line for hours, but finally, an archway signaled the end of the hallway.  
  
A click was heard, and a metal grating began to come down.  
  
"Faster!" Coco shouted, quickening her pace. She lowered her head and broke into a dead sprint. She ducked under the grating and stoped to catch her breath.  
  
She heard a yelp. She turned around to see Dingodile rubbing his foot in pain. But there was something more important.  
  
Her two allies had not made it.  
  
~*~  
  
"Koala Kong! Dingodile!"  
  
"Go on, lassie!" Koala Kong urged. "We shall be fine!"  
  
"But...I can't-"  
  
"Aye, ye can!" Dingodile interrupted, rubbing his sore foot. Kicking metal hurt, and he checked in case he cracked one of the claws on his foot. "Ye go after Cortex. We shall find another way in. Ye can do it...Ye can stop him. We know thou canest do it. The best of luck to thee...Coco."  
  
Coco perked up. That was the first time ever since she first came to medieval Australia that someone called her by her name instead of "lass" or "lassie". With one last lingering look, she turned around and headed into the unknown.  
  
~*~  
  
Strange...this place wasn't on the map.  
  
Coco proceeded with caution. What was waiting for her, she didn't know. She decided to be brave. Being brave didn't mean you wern't scared...being brave meant you were going to stand up and face your challenge...even if you were scared to death.  
  
She found herself in a large square room made entirely of stones. It was about one hundred meters on each side, and the ceiling was about one hundred meters from the ground. Torches lit the area, ten on each wall.  
  
A perfectly square chamber...it had an creepy feeling to it.  
  
"Welcome."  
  
In the center of the chamber was Cortex, sitting in an odd wooden contraption.  
  
"This be the dungeon."  
  
Without warning, an arrow flew by Coco. It grazed her hair and a few strands came floating down.  
  
"This be the place of thy death."  
  
Coco jumped backwards as an arrow struck the very spot she was standing.  
  
There was no way she was going to surive this.  
  
~*~  
  
Coco ducked and an incoming arrow flew over her head and struck the wall behind her. She side stepped as two more arrows came in her direction.  
  
"Thou shouldest stand in one place." Cortex mocked. "Then thy deat will come sooner and less painfully."  
  
Another arrow wizzed by, but Coco's reflexes wern't as responsive this time. The arrow cut her cheek. She touched the wound and winced in pain.  
  
"If that hurts...then thou shouldest try an arrow to thy heart!" Cortex shouted, releasing three more arrows.  
  
The arrows flew by the bandicoot. One of them struck the wall. Coco looked at it, and suddenly had an idea. One that could possibly mean the difference between life and death.  
  
Quickly, she ran along the walls, making it more difficult to hit her...until Cortex shot an arrow in front of her. It barely missed.  
  
But that was exactly what Coco wanted to happen.  
  
The arrow struck a torch and it fell to the ground.  
  
Picking it up, Coco threw it at Cortex.  
  
"No!" Cortex tried ueslessly to try to escape the flame, but his contraption...and himself was engulfed in fire. When it finally died down, all that was left was a pile of ash.  
  
Coco grimaced and shut her eyes. The screams and the sight was a little too intense for her to bear.  
  
"Thou hast done it!"  
  
Coco oppened one eye and then the other. To her delight, she saw Koala Kong running towards her with a limping Dingodile following...not so closely behind.  
  
"How did you two get in?"  
  
"Koala Kong lifted the grate after we could not find another door." Dingodile explained, collapsing on the ground and holding his injured foot.  
  
Bzzt. BZZZT. BZZZZZZZZT.  
  
Electricity flickered through the air and a portal opened up, showing a familiar scene.  
  
Coco stared at it wide eyed. Yes, this was it! This was the way home! For a while, she had forgotten all about going home.  
  
"I can go home!" She cried happily.  
  
"Home...?" Koala Kong repeated. "Er...we was thinking about making thou our queen."  
  
Coco looked back in surprise. Her? A queen?  
  
"If it was not for thy courageous actions, we would have been under Cortex's rule forever."  
  
"As much as I would like to accept your offer..." Coco glanced over at the warp portal. "I really, REALLY want to go home..."  
  
Koala Kong and Dingodile exchanged looks. Their once happy expressions filled with disappointment and regret.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
~*~  
  
Crash sat silently next to the control panel. He hadn't budged for a long time, and Aku Aku, Polar, and Pura were worried for his health.  
  
Crash believed that it was his fault his sister was gone, and he wasn't going to move until she came back...even if that meant letting Cortex take over the world.  
  
BZZZZZT.  
  
The portal opened and one foot steped out. Then another.  
  
Coco looked around. Familiar warp room...familiar computer...but most importantly, familiar brother.  
  
"CRASH!"  
  
Crash looked up and suddenly his body was restored of the energy it didn't have over the past few days.  
  
Crying, Coco ran to her brother and savored his embrace.  
  
~*~  
  
End  
  
~*~  
  
A/N: I'm so proud of myself...I finshed this relatively quickly. I might do some more stories about Medieval Australia, since after this Coco harnessed the rift between the real world and Medieval Australia, (Though I didn't bother to type it. Oo;;) so she...AND anyone she takes with her, can visit any time. (Heh. Tiny, meet your medieval, book worm counterpart. ^_^)  
  
But I'd like to write something else before doing any of that, if I decide to, I want to write something else. Maybe the Crash section's first serious romance? If so, any preferences to a couple?  
  
If not, I'll just use my cousin's favorte couple. ^_^  
  
~Raiegki Leviathan of the Grassrunners 


End file.
